They Deserved Better: Kal'Reegar AU Drabbles
by Lachdannen
Summary: Kal'Reegar tries to make the best of the choices he's given. AU Drabbles, Written for the Aria Afterlife September 2014 Writing Contest.
1. Chapter 1

_Where Kal'Reegar takes decisions into his own hands_

* * *

_Well, there are worse worlds to die on. Definitely better than dying in space. Though did the sun have to be to so damn bright? _

Kal'Reeger slapped his third and last missile pod into the launcher, and watched the ammo indicator flick from red to green with grim satisfaction. The only question left to answer now would be how many geth platforms would his funeral bier be made from.

_Enough for all of us, I hope. Keelah se'lai, brothers. _

Kal looked up over the edge of the stone wall, his mask automatically darkening to shield his eyes against the blazing light of Haestrom's star. He still had to squint, even through the polarized faceplate, and his HUD flickered as the radiation beat down on him. He ducked back as the duracrete half a meter away exploded, a hunk torn out of the edge. Shards of stone skipped off his barriers, and he grimaced, clutching at the launcher.

"Commander Shepard, if you can still hear me, my position is about to be overrun. My squad is down, and I'm hit. Tali'Zorah is in the building a hundred and fifty metres north of my position. Get to her if you can." He closed his eyes taking a deep breath. "Tell her we held as long as we could. Sorry we couldn't do more."

Kal flicked the safety off and rose quickly, sighting down the missle launcher as the weapon acquired a target. The lock on toned in his suit comms, and he pulled the trigger without really bothering to identify what kind of Geth platform he'd focused on. The missile streaked away, sending a crack through the air as the rocket broke the sound barrier just before slamming into it's target.

More Geth opened fired on his position, chunks of metal splinters and bits of stone skipping around him as shots struck nearby. His shields flared as one shot hammered into him, throwing him to his back.

_Well, I'm still not dead yet. _

Heavy footsteps hammered on the stone and Kal rolled over, leveling the launcher back the way he'd come. His finger twitched on the trigger as a tall figure stepped into view.

"Woah, friendly!"snapped the turian as he ducked, sliding down against the wall. Several humans appeared, crowding into cover to either side of him. One knelt before him, red and white N7 patch stark against jet black armour.

"Kal'Reegar? Sorry we're late, we got a little held up," the man said as he extended a hand.

Relieved, Kal relaxed, his muscles sagging with exhaustion as he traded grips with him.. "Commander, good to meet you in person. Was starting to think I wouldn't get the opportunity."

"Garrus, Jacob, make them keep their heads down or lose them." Shepard said, glancing down the line.

"On it, Commander," another dark armored human answered as he popped up to one knee and started shooting.

Shepard nodded then turned back to Kal. "Mr. reegar, where is the rest of your squad."

Bitter bile twisted in his stomach. "Dead. They tried to flank across the right side and while Mel'Tranni and I covered them. I got hit and Mel was killed outright. The rest got cut to ribbons before I could do anything."

Shepard went still as a statue. "I'm sorry. Where's Tali?"

"Building dead ahead. They've been trying to cut their way in to her, but it's awful hard when someone keeps shooting rockets at you. The Colossus up there is a problem though." Kal waved a hand towards the doors. "Standard protocol for armature-class units is to take out its shields and whittle it down, kill it with bug bites, but it's got an auto-repair subroutine that blows that plan straight to hell."

Shepard peered across the gap, ducking back as a shot tore another hole in their shared cover. "Alright, so we have to get in close, drop it fast."

Kal nodded and slapped one hand against the rocket launcher. "I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger. I'll provide cover from here, maybe even drop it's shields."

Shepard shook his head. "You've done enough. We can take it from here. Just keep your head down."

_Right, the fragile quarian has to keep his head down and let someone else do the heavy lifting? Fuck that._

Kal'reegar growled and shoved himself back up. "Wasn't asking your permission. I'm still in this-"

Shepard pinned him to the wall in a vise-like grip, and knelt so his helmet almost touched Kal's mask. A blazing red monster's glare seared at him through the visor of Shepard's helmet. "Stay here, stay down, and cover our back. We'll get to Tali."

If he lived through this, those eyes would feature prominently in his nightmares. Kal suppressed the shiver that ran through him as Shepard pulled away and started issuing orders to his team. They split, sprinting out from the high cover of the balcony, leaving him alone.

He looked down at the body of Mel'Tranni. The younger marine would never see his family, his child again. None of his team would, except for maybe Tali.

_And me, if I had someone to go back to. The Fleet Marines are my family. I owe them all better than standing aside._

Kal counted to three, then hefted himself up, bringing the missile launcher down to point at the biggest threat on the field. The weapon cycled, the tone locking in place again and he squeezed the trigger, sending the missile streaking away. Kal cycled a second missile and sighted down range.

Cracks spiderwebbed across his hud and his ears rang, warnings flashing across his suit, as it registered multiple breaches. A strange sense of weightlessness gripped him for a handful of heartbeats before he crashed to the ground. Pain streaked from the small of his back to his shoulder as something cracked. "S-sorry, Shepard. Should have listened to you. Make the bastards pay. Keelah se'lai."

Tali'Zorah's voice echoed in his ear as darkness swept in. "Kal! Hang on, we are coming!"

He smiled and closed his eyes. Mission accomplished.

* * *

_**A/N: **I don't normally do AU drabble kind of things, but hey, contest, so why not! This is just a slight AU variation as set up. We'll see just where the ripples go from here. _


	2. Chapter 2

The shadowed and vacant halls of the _Normandy_ echoed around him as Kal'Reeger paced through the nearly empty ship. The silence gave the ship an angry feeling, like something had been stolen, and the _Normandy_ wanted it back.

_Not much of a stretch, considering._

He paused looking across the mess to the main battery as Kasumi Goto, slipped into the room. He saw her touch Garrus's shoulder before the door closed. In the mess itself, Massani and Grunt both sat at the table, each focused on the guns in front of them as they disassembled, cleaned, and re-assembled the weapons.

The remaining crew of the _Normandy_ were preparing for war, each in their own way. Comfort of a friend. Preparation for the fight itself. Kal glanced towards the Observation Lounge. He'd be willing to bet that if he walked in there, Samara and Thane would be meditating. His mind and gaze wandered to the elevator, and rode it down to where he knew he'd find the only person he wanted to spend time with in a moment like this.

_I respect them, I even like most of them. But they just aren't my people. _

He hesitated, but considering everything that had happened in the last few hours, he didn't think she should be alone either. Especially if she cared as much for the engineers who had worked under her as he thought she did.

_Or like you did your squad? You know how she's feeling. Do something about it._

Kal'Reegar paused in the doorway to the Engineering Section of the SSV _Normandy_ with the same reverence he reserved for the Shrines aboard the Liveships. In some ways, this little section of the ship could be considered exactly that, at least to the woman in front of him. She worked on the console in front of her, tapping the controls and making the diagram floating on the monitor, twist and flicker as she changed settings. Kal cleared his throat. "Ma'am?"

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy jerked like she'd been slapped, her head snapping around to face him. "Oh, Kal. Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"You seemed a little busy, ma'am." Kal stepped into the room, his gaze for a moment drawn in and up to the massive drive core. The _Normandy_ was a ship like no other, a feat of engineering and technical expertise. He'd never seen its like, and probably never would again.

Tali looked at him, then at the drive core. "It really is something. It's hard to imagine such a young race having done so much."

"They had a little help," Kal said as he leaned on the railing. "And if things had been different, we could do just as well or better."

"Maybe. I'd like to think so, but I guess we'll never know." Tali glanced back. Even through the masks, he knew where her gaze had stopped: the console where Gabriella and Kenneth had worked side-by-side.

"We're only a couple of hours behind them, and Shepard isn't going to leave them to the Collectors." Kal turned towards her, hesitated, then placed one hand on hers.

Tali turned so she could see him and Kal almost pulled away. Normally he hated the fact that the environment suits obscured his face, but at least right then it kept her from seeing the flush that ran up his neck. He managed to hold himself still though, and Tali didn't seem mind.

"I know. It just doesn't feel right with Ken and Gabby missing. It's too quiet." She shivered, a vibration that ran down her body and up his arm.

"It's not over yet," Kal said. He flailed for something else to say, but nothing came. He finally pulled his hand away, though the local gravity seemed to want to keep him in place.

Tali turned to face him, her head tilting slightly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Tali's arms came up and flopped to her side. "One of these days, I'll get you to stop calling me that, I swear."

"Of course. Ma'am." He grinned as he deliberately drew out the honorific. That never got old.

Tali shook her head in something that probably encompassed both amusement and annoyance. "Why did you stay on the Normandy? I mean, after Haestrom. You could have gone back to the fleet at any time. But you stayed. Why?"

_Because of you, but I'm not sure I can admit that. Not yet._

Kal'Reegar straightened, locking his hands behind his back as he came to attention. It had the added bonus of keeping his hands from giving away his agitation. "Tali'Zorah, I've had a lot of fights picked for me. When you volunteered to stay here, on the _Normandy_, I had a chance to pick one I thought worth fighting for. Commander Shepard and I might not see eye-to-eye on everything, but what he—and you—are doing here is something worth doing." He shook his head, his tone turning wry. "Ship might be full of a bunch of misfits, but her course is steady and true."

"Oh, and am I one of those misfits, Mr. Reegar?" Tali said, the laugh bubbling in her voice.

Kal felt himself grinning like an idiot in response to her infectious laugh. "Ma'am, between you, Shepard, and Vakarian, you're leading this bunch of lunatics."

* * *

_**A/N**: You know, when I started thinking out how it would change if Kal'Reegar had stayed with them instead of returning to the fleet, it became really hard to pick a particular instance out to show that. This might turn into a full blown thing at some point, because I skip a lot of the jumps my brain took while getting to this point. Cheers!_

_**A/N2: **Special thanks to Mizdirected for helping to really flesh this one out, and giving me some big pointers on doing a drabble of this size!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Kal'Reegar stood in the shuttle dock of the _Neema_, looking around at the bustle and movement as deck crew moved from ship to ship, charging power cells, loading missiles in pods. He turned to watch two particular crew welding armored panels onto a bulky looking shuttle that probably had been a civilian transport.

"Commander Reegar?"

Kal's attention turned back to the slip of a girl, nearly a full head shorter than him. Her suit looked nearly brand new, and even sported a several decorative whorls of silver. She sounded barely old enough to have completed her Pilgrimage.

She shifted from foot to foot. "Um, Commander Reegar? I'm to escort you to the admiral right away."

"Well, we shouldn't keep him waiting," Kal said and raised a hand towards the hatch. "Please, lead the way." He followed as she hurried away from the hanger, and still trying to figure out just why he'd been called here.

It'd been nearly six months since he and Tali had parted ways with the rest of the crew of the Normandy, and since then the Migrant Fleet had been a whirlwind of activity. Everyone knew war lurked just over the horizon. The only question that remained to be answered, was who would it be fought against: the geth or the Reapers?

_Neither of which are fights we can win alone. _

He sighed as he recalled the number of times Tali had stormed over to his cabin so she could unload her heat sinks, venting all the frustrations that her new position had given her. The couple of weeks had been particularly taxing.

Kal just barely stopped himself from colliding with his young escort when she came to sudden stop, knocking on a cabin door. Kal frowned, looking around in confusion, but he'd never been aboard the _Neema_.

_Pay attention. Admiral's don't call in commanders because they want to give them a pat on the back. _

"Enter!" bellowed someone on the other side of the bulkhead door.

The girl flinched and backed away from the door. "Um, the admiral's ready for you, sir."

A single sharp bark of laughter escaped his lips before he could stop it.. "Thank you." Kal stepped into the room, and paused in the doorway.

A tactical display occupied the center of the conference room, stretching the entire length of the four meter long table. The majority of the image displayed a star system, four planets, an asteroid ring, all orbiting a orange dwarf star. The one system that every quarian knew by heart. Tikkun. Rannoch. Home.

"Ah, good. I began to wonder if that niece of mine had gotten herself lost," growled a voice on the far side of the room.

Kal stepped in, the door sliding shut behind him and turned to face one of the most powerful men in the entire Migrant Fleet. "Admiral Han'Gerrel. What can I do for you, sir."

Han'Gerral snorted. "Straight to the point. You and I will along just fine, Mr. Reegar," he said, sounding pleased. Han'Gerral jerked his head to the side and started moving back to where he'd been. "Come here. There is something I want your take on."

Kal followed a step behind and watched as Han'Gerral tapped the holographic image of Rannoch. The world expanded till it occupied nearly the entire display, giving them a detailed model of the the most treasured prize the quarian people had ever lost.

Han'Gerral pointed at a section near a small mountain range. "There. What do you see?"

Kal stepped closer so he could peer intently at the indicated area. He frowned, tilting his head to side as he examined it from a slightly different angle.

Han'Gerral started laughing quietly. "You've been spending too much time with Admiral Zorah, Commander."

Kal jerked, turned to look over at the senior admiral. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Tali'Zorah looks the exact same when you give her a puzzle, tilting her head like that. I think you've picked up a habit," Han'Gerral said, not even trying to hide his amusement. "I wonder what else you two might have in common."

Kal felt a cold sweat break out on his back as something close to panic jumped up and down in his mind like a vorcha waiting on a fresh steak. "We've worked together extensively, sir. I guess I never really noticed it."

Han'Gerral made a speculative "hmmmm" noise, then nodded back to the display.

Kal looked back, trying to shake off the sudden intense feeling of scrutiny and focused on the display in front of him. He frowned. "That's a geth orbital cannon, but they've mounted directly above another structure."

"_Rithan'Velur,_" Han'Gerral said, no inflection at all in his voice.

Kal'Reegar felt his eyes bulge and he sucked in a startled breath. "The Shrine of the Ancestors? It's still standing? I thought it was destroyed in the Fall!"

"So did we. But these images are less than a month old." Han'Gerral tapped something on the controls. "What if I told you, that tomorrow the Admiralty Board would vote to begin the offensive to retake Rannoch, and that for obvious reasons, we can't simply bomb that site from orbit?"

Kal winced and looked first at the site, then back at Han'Gerral. "Then whoever you send down to take that cannon had better know what he or she is doing. Only two good approaches that provide enough cover to be feasible, and they will both be guarded, if the geth have gone to the effort of putting a orbital cannon there."

Han'Gerral nodded sharply. "And you picked that out in just one look. We need that kind of leadership ability, that kind of decision making on the ground. Which is why, I've been authorized to do this." He activated his omnitool. "Commander Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Fleet General. The Marines of every ship in the fleet are now yours to command and deploy as you see fit in the upcoming assault to retake Rannoch."

Kal'Reegar took two steps backwards refusing to form as he tried to process what Han'Gerral had just said, what he had just done. No one commanded the entire Fleet Marines. The Marines reported to their captains, and while the Admirals could organize larger actions, the chain of command was still clear. "I … can you do that? I mean, sir, this is …"

"The Board approved the appointment of a General this morning. I was given the job of weeding out who'd be the best fit. Frankly, I'd do it myself, but I've already got the Heavy Fleet to worry about." He pointed at Kal's chest with one finger. "You've got more experience on the ground than most two marines combined, and you've worked heavily with Tali'Zorah, who's probably second only to Xaro'Den when it comes to understanding the geth. And your little stint on the Normandy means you know exactly what we are up against if we don't succeed before the Reapers arrive."

Kal froze in place, considering all of that. He didn't think of himself as a leader, not really. He knew his tactics, he'd had them drilled into him, but he did not feel qualified for this.

_Who is qualified for this? No one, probably. It's never been done, not since before the Fall._

Han'Gerral extended his hand. "Well, General? What do you say we finish what our forefathers started?"

Kal'Reegar only hesitated for a moment before he reached out and took the other mans offered hand. "Keelah se'lai, Admiral."


	4. Chapter 4

_In which Kal'Reegar asks a very important question_

* * *

Kal'Reeger's feet pounded in time with his heartbeat as he hurried through the completely chaotic corridors of the _Rayya_. The Liveship's passengers would be the first non-combatants to set foot on Rannoch, now that the fighting had ended, and the excitement had taken the normally crowded and somewhat chaotic atmosphere to FTL speeds.

_A ceasefire with the geth. I knew miracles could happen, but that one is still hard to believe. Now if I Zal'Ventus can make another miracle happen, that would be amazing. _

He bobbed to the side, just managing to skate past a couple and their child without colliding with any of them. One of them shouted something back at him, but he couldn't make out the words in his haste, vanishing down a side corridor and sprinting through the next two sections, his pulse thumping harder in his chest as he counted section numbers.

He nearly missed it, skidding to a stop at a hatch and catching himself on the door's frame. His breath came in ragged gasps and he leaned his head against the door before raising his hand to knock.

_Ancestors, if you can hear me, a little luck would not be out of line I think._

The hatch opened before he could rap on it a third time, and the gold and brown suited man on the other side chuckled. "I should have known."

Kal opened his mouth to speak, but Zal'Ventus raised his hand and cut him off. "Yes, yes, it's done. I just pulled it out of the cooler, come see."

Zal'Ventus stepped sideways, allowing Kal into the cabin and stepped over to a workbench covered in small tools. "I've done good work before, but this … this is something our people haven't seen in a long time."

Kal'Reegar stared down at the ceremonial armband and felt his breath catch. Zal'Ventus had followed his instructions perfectly, copying the design of a similar band Kal had found when they had landed on Rannoch. The twin leaf design seemed simple and elegant, and Zal'Ventus had incorporated the smooth white stone by having the leaves wrap around it, holding it as a centerpiece of the design. But the master craftsman hadn't stopped there. He'd applied his full range of skills to the task.

The leaves of the armband glimmered with a reddish hue to the metal, while the veins and stem of the design ran through it with silver. Not only was it beautiful, but Kal didn't have a clue how the other man had done it.

"Well?" prompted Zal'Ventus, satisfaction evident in his tone.

"It's … I don't know what to say," Kal said, quietly. He picked it up with one hand, turning it over so light flickered off the shining metal, flickering scarlet and silver.

"Traditionally, this would be the point you express how amazing it is, how fantastic the craftsmanship" Zal'Ventus said, his voice nearly as dry as a desert.

"Thank you, Zal'Ventus. It's exactly what I had hoped for." Kal turned and bowed to the jeweler.

"Not quite the gratuitous praise I hoped for, but it'll have to do," Zal'Ventus said with a sigh and waved at him. "Go catch her, who ever this mystery woman of yours is."

Kal'Reeger bobbed his head in thanks again and took off, his legs complaining as he made his way through thicker and thicker crowds.

_At least everyone is more or less going the same direction. _

He kept the band of shining metal gripped tight in one hand, not daring to let go. If he dropped it here, it would be crushed before he'd have a chance to recover it. The very thought made his fingers convulse in spastic terror. Before that emotion could fade, it spiked again as the docking bay warning lights flashed: shuttles were starting to depart the liveship.

"Kal!"

His head snapped to the side, trying to find the voice, finally spotting her as Tali'Zorah stood up on her tiptoes, waving. A bag hung off one of her shoulders, heavy with her whole life packd up into it.

_Hopefully not quite all if it, that is. _

He swallowed, his mouth suddenly seeming to dry out in seconds as he hurried to her through the press of people. His breath still coming in ragged breaths when he reached her.

Tali tilted her head to the side, her arm coming up to touch his shoulder, concern flooding her voice. "Are you all right? You sound like you ran all the way here."

"I uh, kind of did, ma'am." Kal straightened, facing her and meeting her eyes. He stood like that, just staring at her as he tried find the right words. Nothing sounded right.

"You asked me to wait. I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye." Tali tilted her head to the side, her hand on her hip. "What's up?"

"I … look, I'm not good at this. But you're leaving on the _Normandy_, and I'm off to Palaven in a few days. And I know we're still figuring things out, but …." He stopped, still holding the band of metal behind his back.

Tali seemed to become a statue, her eyes glued on him. "Um, Kal?"

It took him a moment to force his muscle to relax, letting his arm fall slowly from where he'd held it and raised his hand, the leaf armband sparkling as he did. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I don't know what's going to happen. But whatever course the future has for us, I want mine and yours to be side by side."

Tali didn't move other than to look down at shining piece of jewelry. Even through the obscuring mask, her eyes seemed grow wide in shock or surprise. Her hand on her hip shook as she raised, running a finger over one leaf. "Mr. Reegar, you have the perhaps the worst timing of any man I have ever met."

_Gulp._

"I kind of hope you find it endearing," Kal said, his voice shaking. She'd not said no.

Tali's hand on his shoulder slid up to his neck and pulled him closer, till their foreheads touched. As close as it was possible for them to be. "Most of the time. And yes, you stupid _bosh'tet_. Though when this mess is over, you are going to take me somewhere nice and do this correctly, do you hear me?"

"Absolutely, ma'am."


	5. Chapter 5

_In which the only answer is to send in the Marines still_

* * *

"Sir, the comm is array is back up!"

General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya leaned out and let loose a burst of a fire, tearing through the trio of husks that had tried to make a sprint for their position. The recoil jammed his rifle into his shoulder and electricity bloomed up his arm again. He leaned back, biting back a curse. "Good. Get on the line, make sure the Hierarchy knows the mission is done and -"

"Incoming!" shouted a marine, just bare seconds before something slammed into the ground.

Kal fell sideways, the impact jarring him off his feet, and his vision went white for a second as he landed on his arm, and the ragged wound. "Damn it! Move it people, get on the line and hold it! We didn't come all the way down here, fix this damn thing to let a bunch prehistoric machines waltz in and take it from us!"

He clawed his way back into up into a sitting position, and leaned out to get a better view of what horrible things were coming his way.

A little part of him couldn't help but be impressed by what the Reapers had done. They didn't just kill. The created weapons of the very people they sought to concur, turning their own strength against them. As the corrupted turians scrambled out of the crater-all covered in armored plates and reaper augmentations-a little part of him wondered just what kind of things they would create from his people.

He sighted down the rifle and pulled the trigger again.

Kal's commlink clicked to life, a voice echoing through his suits systems. "General Reegar, This is General Corinthus. Thank you for your assistance, we can begin pulling your people out at any time."

Kal hesitated and looked back at his men. Of the twelve man fire team, only eight were still alive, and every single one of them had been wounded, most with multiple suit breeches. His own arm throbbed, a red haze on the edge of his perceptions. "Negative General. We pull out now, they will just take the damn thing back and this will have all been for nothing."

"You've done enough. The krogan reinforcements are already on their way," his turian counterpart pleaded. "I'm sending shuttles-."

"Corinthus, we are all dead already. It's just taking a little longer to stick than most. If we pull out, we lose this tower, and we lose this flank." Kal closed his eyes, and for a moment he didn't hurt. The world didn't burn around him, above him. He stood on the Rayya listening to the smile in her voice as she said yes. He opened his eyes, and his voice hardened into tungsten. We'll hold till the reinforcements get here. Just make them pay for it."

"... I will. We will," Corinthus said. He started to say something else, when another voice bullied it's way onto the comm channel.

"Damn right we will, and that means you too, you damn stubborn pyjack," growled a krogan into the line. "Stand by. Uncle Urdnot's got a care package coming your way."

Kal blinked, and he didn't even try to hide the confusion. "Uncle … Urdnot?"

Overhead engines screamed as something tore through the atmosphere of Menae, shrieking past the comm tower, then reversing the engines thrust in a nearly suicidal braking maneuver. The shuttle howled and wobbled in the air, nearly slamming into the ground barely five meters from the him as it lost altitude and the door flung open.

Krogan began to pour out of the shuttle so fast that Kal'Reegar didn't know where they had put them all. One particularly large specimen crunched over to Kal, completely ignoring the fact that the Reaper ground forces had started to shoot at him until a shot skipped off his shoulder. The scar-faced warlord narrowed his eyes, and turned, throwing out one hand and scattering the lot of them before resuming his march to Kal. "Get up, Reegar, I've got a bone to pick with you."

Kal stood up, finally recognizing who he was dealing with. "Urdnot Wrex?"

Wrex snorted, and shrugged. "Last time I checked. Now, stand up. I want to look at the man who think's he's good enough to marry my favorite little quarian."

_I am bleeding, infection might still get me, and he wants to talk about this now? _

Kal staggered to his feet, still dazed. Maybe he'd started to hallucinate. That made sense, right?

Wrex grunted and eyed him up and down. "Way she was talking about you, I expected you to be to be taller." He gave Kal a push toward the shuttle. "Go. If I let you die down here, I think she'd actually be upset with me."

By the time he reached it, the rest of his team had already made it aboard. Kal closed his eyes. It might not be a good chance, but now they at least had a chance. He leaned back and the warmth of his memory flooded over him again, and he let himself sink into it smiling all the way.


End file.
